A large fire tore through two homes in Paterson, New Jersey Tuesday evening, the most recent in a string of fires that have plagued the city.
Neighbors watched in fear as flames shot through the roofs of the homes on North 4th Street, worried the blaze would come to where very old homes are stacked up right next to each other.
Firefighters were challenged trying to extinguish the four-alarm fire on the old wooden homes, with little space between them. Eventually, with heavy water support from above and on the ground, they were able to put out the flames.
There was no word on any injuries.
Red Cross says it's helping 18 people from six families with temporary lodging, food and clothing.
The city has been dealing with a rash of fires lately, most recently at the abandoned Paterson Armory last week that forced six schools to close. And earlier in the month, a fire that started inside an abandoned home on East Main Street left 10 people homeless.
-- Gus Rosendale contributed to this report
